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We have an adult or senior bunny Little Doll. She is spayed. She has a large x-pen in a room and allowed to run around freely sometimes.

We wanted to get a friend for her. Yesterday we brought a new bunny home: 3 months old, not neutered yet. Our agreement with the owner was that if the bonding doesnt work out we can take the bunny back.

I noticed major differences in their behavior. Little Doll is always quiet. Most of the time she sits in the corner box with bedding and hay. She jumps around but not a lot. She would not go up a ramp the leaded to the hutch outside. My husband had to saw the hutch legs shorter so she would go in. She is not interested in any bunny toys that we got for her. The new bunny is full of energy. He is extremely interested in his surroundings. Once he got used to the room yesterday, he kept charging around doing binkies all the time. I've never seen Little Doll do a binky. She keeps her x-pen very clean and recently learned to use her litter box around 80% of the time. He definately creates a lot of mess by throwing hay around, jumping around and playing. He acts like a real, young, active, happy bunny. He is not yet litterbox trained but he used it a few times already.

They seemed to get along well. We had them both in the kitchen under supervision. She didnt pay much attention to him. He was more interested in her, following her around. Most of the time each of them their doing their own things, grooming, chewing on hay, etc. When he approached her on several occasions, both of them seem to want the other bunny to groom their head, but non of them actually licked the other. The problem arised when he started chasing her into a corner and tried to mount her. We had to gently push him away. He was very intense and he is physically bigger and stronger. She didnt seem to like it. She also seemed to be disturbed when he was zooming around inside her x-pen. Couple of times she chased him out of her hiding den. I wanted our bunny to have a friend but not to create additional stress for her.

The new bunny is a sweetheart. But I am not sure if they are a good combination. Also, I feel that our 6' X 3' xpen provides enough room for her for most of the time. However, a young and energetic bunny probably needs more exercise room.

Should I take him back to the owner and find a senior friend for Little Doll or keep the young bunny? My main concerns are if he creates stress for her and if he needs more room and higher maintenance than we can provide.

I would appreciate advice.

LittlePuffyTailNew Brunswick, Canada

Forum Leader

12721 posts

8/19/2012 12:18 PM

Well, from my experience and much of the research I've done, two very different buns can usually co-habit peacefully. The fact that there was no aggression or fights is definitely a good thing. They don't hate each other. It's not fair to expect them to get along 100% until he's neutered because the humping will most likely become a constant annoyance to her. Are you planning on having him neutered if you keep him?

Most bonding situations will create stress on bunnies. It's stressful for any bunny to have a stranger move in. Bonding can take weeks or months, depending on the situation, so you have to expect some stress. I would just take the sessions slow, start with short sessions and see how Little Doll reacts.

Proud to be a Bunny Hugger and a voice for the voiceless

LittleDoll

42 posts

8/19/2012 12:23 PM

LittlePuffyTail, thank you for your reply. Yes, if I kept him I would get him neutered. Does neutering decrease humping? I've read that the bunnies still continue humping even when neutered. Also, I cannot tell if Little Doll likes to have the second bun around or if she doesnt care. Our cat and the new bunny already got along really well

equalsign

220 posts

8/19/2012 12:39 PM

When my little boy was neutered it stopped his humping. He still tried a couple times in the two weeks after his neuter, but stopped on his own after less than a minute. After that he never tried it again.

I know some people still get dominance humping after a spay/neuter, but for the most part you should see a sharp decrease in that kind of activity following the surgery. If you're planning on housing them together without supervision, I really advise that both rabbits are spayed/neutered.

Beka27Cleveland, Ohio (USA)

Forum Leader

15958 posts

8/20/2012 12:28 AM

I would have gone for an adult bunny who was already neutered. I'm not sure if having a young, very energetic (and hormonal) bunny around would be refreshing or annoying for Little Doll. Ideally, both rabbits should be neutered before bonding, so are you just doing a few casual bonding sessions to see if there is any hope of bonding before making the commitment and neutering? In order to have bonding in full swing, he needs to be neutered first. Because of this, "trial bonding" with an unneutered bunny doesn't usual produce the desired results.

Meadow.....
...... Max, my angel bunny

Sarita(Dallas)

Forum Leader

18813 posts

8/20/2012 2:20 AM

I have to totally agree with Beka. Also I think you just got Little Doll spayed didn't you? She could also be having some hormonal issues as well.

I have 3 seniors rabbits (10 years old) and I would never put a young rabbit or unneutered rabbit with any of them - even my 4 year old rabbit. Babies can change drastically after a year. Also my seniors are not up to the spunkiness of a young rabbit.

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